No Broke Months For Salespeople - Influence Gap - TEDx Talk by Dan Rochon)

Episode Date: February 21, 2026

In this deeply personal TEDx Talk, Dan reveals the truth about influence: it’s not about control, pressure, or persuasion. It’s about trust. And trust begins within.Link of the full Tedx Talk: https://youtu.be/ASs9SfieDsE?si=lhlNGivMn9pHjViH Dan vulnerably shares his battle with alcoholism and the mentor, Dave, who helped him find his way out. Through that experience, he discovered a simple but transformative Communication Model built on three pillars: Connect energetically Ask adept questions Actively listen You’ll learn why the “influence gap” exists, how to close it, and why trying harder often pushes people further away. Dan also shares a moving story about his daughter Maggie and the moment he realized that true connection starts with being emotionally present. In sales, leadership, and life, influence isn’t something you take — it’s something you earn through connection. And in a time when technology can deliver information but not care, mastering human connection may be your greatest competitive advantage. What you’ll learn in this episode: ● Why trust is the foundation of influence in sales and leadership ● What the “influence gap” is and how to close it ● The three-part Communication Model for deeper human connection ● How to ask adept questions that uncover what truly matters ● Why active listening is more powerful than persuasion ● How influencing yourself is the first step to influencing others ● Why human connection matters more than ever in the age of AI To find out more about Dan Rochon and the CPI Community, you can check these links:Website: No Broke MonthsPodcast: No Broke Months for Salespeople PodcastInstagram: @donrochonxFacebook: Dan RochonLinkedIn: Dan RochonTeach to Sell Preorder: Teach to Sell: Why Top Performers Never Sell – And What They Do Instead

You're listening to No Broke Months for Salespeople Podcast. In this special episode of the No Broke Months for Salespeople podcast, we feature a TEDx talk by Dan Rochon, where he shares a deeply personal story about overcoming alcoholism and the mentor who helped change his life. Dan breaks down his communication model for building trust and influence through energetic connection, adept questions, and active listening. In a world shaped by AI and automation, he explains why human human human, connection is the ultimate competitive advantage in sales and leadership. Think back to a time when someone believed in you. Maybe it was a favorite teacher, a favorite coach, or a favorite guide.

Close your eyes for a moment if you can. Think back. See their face, hear their voice, feel the way you felt when they believed in you. Now picture that person walking into your life today and giving you advice. You'd probably follow it, right? Because they earned your trust. Trust is what we all crave, yet we really experience it. In fact, the Pew Research Center found that nearly two out of three people believe that other people can't be trusted. Trust isn't scarce because people are bad. Trust is scarce because meaningful connections are uncommon. That absence of trust creates a space. This is the influence gap, the distance between what you want somebody to do and their willingness to do it. Now, this isn't about control. This is about trust. The heart. The heart

harder you pull, the harder it is to get connected. The ones you don't pull, they're the ones that are able to bring the trust together. Because influence is not something that you gain. Influence is something that you get through connection. Influence is something that you get when you're able to ask adept questions, actively listen, and be able to seek the answers that you desire. I learned this from somebody years ago who helped me in my life. I was somebody who helped me through some tough times. His name was Dave. You see, years ago, I was facing my own struggles. Every day I'd wake up, hung over.

I was an active alcoholic. Each day, 12 packs of beer, two bottles of wine, every day. Each point I woke up with a taste of regret and a promise I already broken. Yet, I knew that I was able to be somebody better. I knew I was able to be somebody that can make a difference in the world because others had helped me make a difference in my world. I was lost, and I didn't know where to go. And then that's when I met Dave.

He didn't judge me. He didn't look at me like I was lost. Dave saw me, the real me. Dave asked me questions. He connected with me in a way that allowed for me to feel like I was understood. Dave helped me to be able to connect with myself, to be able to ask myself the hard questions and listen deeply to the answers. But Dave, the man who helped me find my way out, he couldn't find his own. Dave died from the same disease he helped me overcome. Why did I make it and not Dave? Because influence can light the path, but you still need to walk it. It can open the door, but you need to step through. You see, influence is something that we all possess within ourselves, and it's the ability to be able to influence others that sometimes we seek.

Yet, the ability to be able to influence ourselves is where it starts. Today, more than ever before, the ability to be able to influence others. influence is more impactful. With artificial intelligence shaping the way that our world is seen today, it's almost like the human connection is something that we need now more than ever before. Artificial intelligence is shaping who we meet, what we notice, and what gets our attention. AI can be perfect, but it can't have that human. connection. It can't cross that gap where trust lives. Technology can give us more information than

ever before, but it can't care. We can know more data about each other, but still be lonely. We can still be alone. Today, more than ever, the ability for us to be able to connect with each other is more vital than ever before. And I found the ability to be able to do this with what I call the communication model. It's a simple human connection that follows three parts. Firstly, connect energetically. Most people think that rapport is about shaking hands, it's about smiling, and it's about showing up in a way that's sort of somewhat cheesy. Repor is a connection. Rappore is something that you feel. A French philosopher from the 1900s, Pierre Toulard de Chardin once taught us that we are spiritual beings in a human manifestation. When you connect with

somebody at that level, they see it, they feel it, you see it, you feel it. That's a level of connection that is uncommon. Next, ask adept questions. An adept question is a question that's design to be able to help you to be able to think about how to be able to get the meaning of what's really truly important to the other person or to yourself. Adept questions uncover the truth underneath the noise. So first, connect energetically. Second, ask adept questions. And third, actively listen. What do you actively listening for? You're listening to that energy. Because when you can connect with that energy, that's when you're able to be able to really have a bond where you can feel and see and know what the other person is experiencing,

and you can be able to guide them so that they can understand and they can think in a way that allows for them to get what they want. But here's the twist. The twist is that the connection, influence, trust, it starts with an unlawful, ourselves first. When we're able to ask ourselves the questions, when we're able to be able to connect with ourselves, and we're able to actively listen to the answers to those questions. That's the beginning of influence. And I learned this lesson years ago when my daughter Maggie was 11 years old. One night, Maggie comes into the room and sits next to me. She didn't say much. She didn't have to. I felt that connection with her immediately.

that something that's important underneath the noise, that's what I felt with her. I remember looking at Maggie, and remember thinking, I'm feeling uncomfortable right now. Well, not because my daughter Maggie's with me, but I'm feeling uncomfortable right now because I'm present physically,

but I'm not present emotionally. So what I had to do was I had to connect with myself. I had to be able to take a look and ask myself a different question. What am I feeling right now? And when I understood that I had the ability to be able to pay attention to my feelings, that's when I could be able to be emotionally connected with my daughter.

To watch the full episode of Dawn Tedx talk, visit the link in the description. Don't forget to give a like and comment. Have the best day of your life. Be grateful. Go help somebody and God bless you.